Septic drain field issue

[MikePA]

They gave me the number of another company. I explained the issue to the fellow over the phone and he came out with a very large air compressor mounted on a trailer. he first probed for the drain lines and then marked them with little metal flags. He then started the compressor and pushed the small diameter pipe into the ground. He opened a valve on the pipe and air flowed into the ground and you could see it visibly raise in about a 2 - 3 foot circle around his pipe. He worked over the whole drain field in this manner. He said that the idea was that the lifting of the biomass with the compressed air tended to break it up and, sure enough, our drain field began draining again.

The local company we used called it 'High pressure water jet' service from the D-box out to the drain field. Then they added 1 case of 'Septic Scrub Treatment'.

Total cost, which also included pumping out our 300 gallon tank and the D-box, and replacing the baffle was $1,620 last May. It passed inspection and we moved in November.

 

[fried1765]

The local company we used called it 'High pressure water jet' service from the D-box out to the drain field. Then they added 1 case of 'Septic Scrub Treatment'.

Total cost, which also included pumping out our 300 gallon tank and the D-box, and replacing the baffle was $1,620 last May. It passed inspection and we moved in November.

And the good news: You are outta there,...... and that fix will not last!

 

[Cataclysm]

Most anything short of a professional evaluation and repair will be a band-aid that likely won't last. So, you have to ask yourself if you want a valid, lasting repair or just a band-aid.

If you want it repaired properly call your local DEQ office. They will guide you through the process and have a list of licensed contractors.

FWIW I make good money going in after the band-aid budget guys hack jobs. Let your conscience be your guide.

 

[Jstpssng]

"can legally repair 2 lengths of pipe without a permit"

So....does Belfast have an assigned pipe length checker, to make sure that no one exceeds that 2 length limitation?
I replaced my entire system without a permit, and I don't live in the country (when I was a kid it was country).
Of course, I have had a TLB for 34 years, so I didn't need to hire anybody.

The time that will become a problem is if you decide to sell; without a documented system it never happened. I was looking at house lots last year and went 10 rounds with various realtors about that; they were selling "with well and septic" and pricing accordingly; yet when I asked what the system was they had no clue and sent me to the soil scientist. I had already been told the way it was by our CEO... if there's a concrete tank I can reuse it, but with no documentation the leach field doesn't exist. I was looking for something I can use for a couple of years and sell, but am not about to pay for something that they can't even prove exists...along with a well which hasn't been used in years and may or may not be good.
That's the case in Maine, down there on the Cape things may be a little less strict.

 

[fried1765]

The time that will become a problem is if you decide to sell; without a documented system it never happened. I was looking at house lots last year and went 10 rounds with various realtors about that; they were selling "with well and septic" and pricing accordingly; yet when I asked what the system was they had no clue and sent me to the soil scientist. I had already been told the way it was by our CEO... if there's a concrete tank I can reuse it, but with no documentation the leach field doesn't exist. I was looking for something I can use for a couple of years and sell, but am not about to pay for something that they can't even prove exists...along with a well which hasn't been used in years and may or may not be good.
That's the case in Maine, down there on the Cape things may be a little less strict.

Actually, I suspect that on the Cape, septic regulations are a good bit more strict than most parts of Maine.
I did the installation in 1986, and the town inspected everyone's system the following year.
I put the system in to comply with "title V" regulations.
The inspector asked who put the system in, and I said I didn't know, but that it must have been done shortly before my mother died in 1987.
He said he could not find the permit, but recorded the system as being in compliance.

My system has a leach pit, (very porous sand) which was legal at the time, and is grandfathered.

Selling will never be a problem for me.
I put the property in trust for my children 23 years ago.
They are kind enough to let me live there until I croak...as long as I pay the tax bill, and pay for maintenance (just had a new high $ red cedar roof).

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^
I didn't really think that was a concern with you, yours is a place to pass down as you have planned. I just wanted to point it out for other people. I eventually found a lot which had a driveway and septic put in in 2004, and has been setting ever since. it was installed by one of the best in the area, I have a copy of the site plan and the assurance by the CEO that it's up to snuff. I hope to put a little sweat equity in, clean the lot up and hopefully make a little on it when the markets come around again.

 

[fried1765]

^^^^
I didn't really think that was a concern with you, yours is a place to pass down as you have planned. I just wanted to point it out for other people. I eventually found a lot which had a driveway and septic put in in 2004, and has been setting ever since. it was installed by one of the best in the area, I have a copy of the site plan and the assurance by the CEO that it's up to snuff. I hope to put a little sweat equity in, clean the lot up and hopefully make a little on it when the markets come around again.

That would certainly seem like it will work.
It was Mark Twain who said: "Buy land, they aren't making it anymore."

 

[BrokenTrack]

The problem with selling a home is that no one can predict the future.

This was always my "Forever House" as it is on family land, and I started building it back in 1992, and from logging the trees, to mixing up the concrete, and everything in between, I have done the work. But even for me, times change.

I got a father with Alzheimer's, and a Mom that is on her death bed with heart disease, and two sisters with Down Syndrome. The two sisters both work, and are okay, but they can never survive on their own, nor could they be able to handle the change of moving to a different house. That means in the not too distant future, Katie and I will have to move down to my parents place and take care of my sisters. It is no ones fault, it is just what has to be done.

How all that will work out, we do not know, but it is quite possible that we will have to sell our current main home. I cannot see us maintaining (4) houses. But the point is, it is not 1985 any more, and the ways things were done, is not the way they always will be done. Financing is not like it used to be, and who knows, maybe in a few years I end up selling this house to one of my daughters, but that too will require a sound septic system.

 

[MikePA]

But the point is, it is not 1985 any more, and the ways things were done, is not the way they always will be done.

We found out it wasn't 1978 any more, either.

When we bought our place, the only required inspection was electrical - The seller had to upgrade the service from 60 amp to 200 amp.

We found out there are a lot more inspections required/buyer optional these days and installing almost anything yourself won't cut it when you go to sell. There is also a VERY long questionnaire the seller has to complete and sign. Depending on where a perspective buyer tries to get a mortgage there can be additional requirements. For example, FHA requires a minimum of 100' feet between the well and drain field, requires for a room to be called a bedroom, it must have a closet and a window. By this requirement, we had no bedrooms (our house was built in the late 1800s).

In my opinion, bold talk and actions to do things yourself may solve a short term problem and create a mess when you, or your heirs, go to sell.